Sitting there, leaning back, looking up, trading exclamations. “That’s the tallest tree in the world,” or “Dang! That’s tall.” “ High up as a mountain!“ Or other explicatives I won’t mention here. But you know what? It just might have been the tallest tree in the world. No matter, we called it that. Kinda’ talked ourselves into it. Lighthearted jesting. Yes, but I do think the big ole lumbering piece of oak appreciated the moniker. We could always get a reaction. Always get a leaf to rustle. Always get a big branch to sway. Some days, limbs would whip the air. Others, just cool, calm approval. And listen, if rocks got feelings then surely trees do.
It was on one of these very days that I was hit on the head. Yes! Right, square on top. ‘Bout saw stars! It startled me and hurt too! What the heck was that? Or who? Or… Then I saw it. There, off to the side, camouflaged & near a fat root of the old oak. Walk’n over, look’n down, I picked it up. What brings you here? What? An acorn— green and hard and still wearing a cap. Cute like. Admiring the design, I rolled it round my thumb & forefinger. With my other hard I touched the swelling egg on my head. Then it started. One after another, falling acorns! Like baby bombs! Acorns away! I ran from under that big ole tree. Ran! And from a safer distance I spotted the culprit. Saw the varmint. Well I’ll be. A squirrel! And we were face t’ face, eye to eye. Hello there little fella.
Mr Squirrels’ favorites seems t’ be hickory nuts, pecans, walnuts, acorns - sunflower seeds too. Squirrels equate nuts with survival, while us humans think of nuts as a snack. Trail mix equals healthy snack. Right? Me, I like roasted salted cashews, but as a kid my friends & I poured salted peanuts down the throat of Orange Crush bottles. Nowadays, I like sunflower seeds in a salad & I prefer pecans to walnuts. And while these babies are more than good for you, over indulging has got some side effects, or I should say consequences, some quite serious. Wanna look a little bit closer?
Walnuts are way up the ladder. Proven cancer fighters & diabetes runs from ‘em, but please, digest no more than 7 a day. Cashews, no more than 4 or 5 a day. Please! What about almonds? Super for you! Eat up to 25, but remember, they’re high in fat & calories. And then there’s the fantastic hazelnut! Too many pluses and too few minuses. A healthy handful of this nut gonna kick some ass!
And Pecans! Heart lovi’n, cancer fight’n, immune boost’n, protein pack’n, cholesterol’s a nada, a zero, let’s go! Squirrel away 15 halves a day baby! No problem. But hold on when it comes to a Brazil nut. One, 2 a day MAX. Best at beddie-by time unless you enjoy count’n sheep. Overindulge to acquire brittle hair and nails. Even better for sleep, Pistachios. And who isn’t addicted to crack’n & eat’n Pistachios? They are way good for you but if they be salted, well, you do the sodium math. Stick with just a few handfuls.
THE MORAL: Get out of your rut, rotate roots snd nuts! See what life’s cracked up to be.
Most importantly, Double L ‘s nuts, all organic.
MENTIONABLE: Buckets of garden tulips every morning, as long as they last. Real doozies. Harry’s berries too, as long as they last. Magestic melons, gorgeous grapes, juicy sweet, citrusy citrus— grapefruit divine. Asparagus, broccoli rabe, dandelion, collards— dried beans (another heathy trend to tend too)
Store nearing readiness for you to come inside. We will continue daily curbside pickup along with retro-retail-relevant shopping. Excited does not come close to describing our feelings.
DISCLAIMER: We, Justin & I, actually sat on the side of the road at our Southport farmstand, looked up at a tree all summer long & made the above referenced remarks. The tree was a pine. I changed it to an oak tree, the device I needed to bring in the squirrel and the nuts. Forgive me for the lie. A few years later I called Justin and yelled: “They cut down the tallest tree in the world!” And that’s the truth.